LORD Hunt of Wirral is preparing to fight the controversial Mersey Tunnels Bill tonight as it has its second reading in the upper chamber.

Debating starts at 8pm in the House of Lords and at least five members are down to speak.

If the former MP for Wirral West garners enough support from the peers, the Private Bill, which would give Merseytravel the power to increase tolls without holding a public inquiry, could be thrown out.

Last night he called the Bill "a tax on commuters".

"We have got a tried and tested way of increasing tolls where the public has the option to object," he said. Merseytravel wants to sweep away the existing system. The tunnels have been in profit since 1992 but it wants to use surplus money not just to pay off the tunnels debt, but for other public transport schemes.

"This is basically a tax on people going to work and would have a damaging effect on the economy of Merseyside."

The Bill passed through the House of Commons at the end of October and was expected to go through the House of Lords unopposed.

Lord Hunt stepped in to register his opposition at a crucial point in the proceedings, preventing it from progress-ing straight to the second stage.

Instead the reading was delayed until today to allow him to prepare his case for the opposition.

The campaign against it rests on how the presumption was that, once the cost of building the tunnels had been paid off, then they would become free and the fact money raised would be used on projects across the rest of Merseyside. If it is not stopped tonight, it will go on to an opposed Bill committee made up from four or five peers.

They will have the power to drop it or alter it before it is passed on to its third and final reading.

Lord Hunt added: "What we will be seeking to do is re-examine some of the questions raised by the MPs in the Commons and ensure they are dealt with properly. I'll be arguing that this Bill should not be approved in its current form, especially when the tunnels are already making a profit.

"Merseytravel has to prove there is a need for this Bill. Why do we need constant increases?

John McGoldrick, from the Mersey Tunnels Users' Association, said: "We are hoping the Bill will be stopped at the debate. "We have done our best to lobby as many lords as possible but we are only a small group so we are relying on Lord Hunt. He has worked very hard on championing the case and we hope that bears fruit."